Golf ball layers formed of polyurethane-based and polyurea-based compositions incorporating block copolymers
View Patent ↗Golf equipment having improved cut and shear resistance that includes a polyurea-based composition or polyurethane-based composition, preferably saturated and/or water resistant, formed of a prepolymer, a functionalized block copolymer, and optionally further cured or chain extended with a curing agent, where the prepolymer is incorporated at the terminal end of the functionalized block copolymer.
1. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein the cover is formed from a polyurethane-based composition comprising a prepolymer, a block copolymer, and a coupling agent, wherein the block copolymer comprises an Ax-By block or an Ax-By-Az block, wherein A comprises an olefin or acrylate, B comprises a diene. and x, y, and z are independently 1 or greater, and wherein the prepolymer is formed from an isocyanate and a polyol.
2. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the block copolymer comprises an olefin-diene-olefin block.
3. The golf ball of claim 2 , wherein the olefin is styrene and the diene is butadiene.
4. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the coupling agent comprises a hydroxy group, an amino group, a thiol group, an epoxy group, an anhydride group, or a combination thereof.
5. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the coupling agent is selected from the group consisting of trimethyloipropane monoallyl ether; N-methylolacrylamide; 1,1-dihydroxymethylcyclohex-3-ene; 1,2-dihydroxymethylcyclohex-4-ene; 1-amino-ethenol; 1-amino-2-propen-1-ol; 1-amino-1-propen-2-ol; 1-amino-4-penten-2-ol; 1-amino-4-hexen-3-ol; 1-amino-3-penten-2-ol; 1-amino-1-hepten-2-ol; 1-amino-3-nonen-2-ol; 2-amino-ethenol; 2-amino-3-buten-1-ol; 2-amino-4-pentene-1-ol; 2-amino-5-hexen-1-ol; 2-amino-3,14-octadecadien-1-ol; 2-amino-3,8-octadecadien-1-ol; 2-amino-3,9-octadecadien-1-ol; 8-amino-1-octen-4-ol; 4-amino-2-buten-2-ol; 4-amino-1-penten-3-ol; 4-amino-1,5-hexadiene-3-ol; 4-amino-2,5-hexadiene-1-ol; ethynol; 4-amino-2-butyn-1-ol; 1-amino-1-hydroxy-2-butenyl; 1-amino-3-pentyn-2-ol; 1-amino-3-decyn-2-ol; and mixtures thereof.
6. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises crosslinks.
7. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the composition is thermoplastic.
8. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer.
9. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein the cover is formed from a polyurea composition comprising a prepolymer, a block copolymer comprising at least one functional group at a terminal end, and a curative, wherein the prepolymer is formed from an isocyanate and a polyamine.
10. The golf ball of claim 9 , further comprises an intermediate layer disposed between the core and the cover.
11. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein the intermediate layer comprises a thermoplastic material.
12. The golf ball of claim 9 , wherein the at least one functional group is selected from the group consisting of a hydroxy group, an amino group, a thiol group, an epoxy group, an anhydride group, and combinations thereof.
13. The golf ball of claim 9 , wherein the block copolymer comprises an A x -B y -A z block, wherein x, y, and z are independently 1 or greater, and wherein A comprises an olefin and B comprises a diene.
14. The golf ball of claim 9 , wherein the block copolymer comprises an A x -B y block, wherein x and y are independently 1 or greater, and wherein A comprises an olefin and B comprises a diene.
15. A golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein at least a portion of the golf ball is formed from a polyurea composition formed from a prepolymer, an olefin-diene-olefin block copolymer, and a coupling agent.
16. The golf ball of claim 15 , further comprising an intermediate layer comprising a thermoplastic material.
17. The golf ball of claim 15 , wherein the coupling agent is selected from the group consisting of trimethylolpropane monoallyl ether; N-methylolacrylamide; 1,1-dihydroxymethylcyclohex-3-ene; 1,2-dihydroxymethylcyclohex-4-ene; 1-amino-ethenol; 1-amino-2-propen-1-ol; 1-amino-1-propen-2-ol; 1-amino-4-penten-2-ol; 1-amino-4-hexen-3-ol; 1-amino-3-penten-2-ol; 1-amino-1-hepten-2-ol; 1-amino-3-nonen-2-ol; 2-amino-ethenol; 2-amino-3-buten-1-ol; 2-amino-4-pentene-1-ol; 2-amino-5-hexen-1-ol; 2-amino-3,14-octadecadien-1-ol; 2-amino-3,8-octadecadien-1-ol; 2-amino-3,9-octadecadien-1-ol; 8-amino-1-octen-4-ol; 4-amino-2-buten-2-ol; 4-amino-1-penten-3-ol; 4-amino-1,5-hexadiene-3-ol; 4-amino-2,5-hexadiene-1-ol; ethynol; 4-amino-2-butyn-1-ol; 1-amino-1-hydroxy-2-butenyl; 1-amino-3-pentyn-2-ol; 1-amino-3-decyn-2-ol; and mixtures thereof.
18. The golf ball of claim 15 , wherein the block copolymer comprises styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer.
19. The golf ball of claim 15 , wherein the cover has a thickness of about 0.02 inches to about 0.035 inches.
20. The golf ball of claim 15 , wherein the cover has an inner cover layer having a hardness of about 50 Shore D to about 70 Shore D and an outer cover layer having a hardness of about 30 Shore D to about 70 Shore D.